You know I’m a bit fan of Teagan Geneviene’s books and her blog, so, of course, I could not resist the invitation to take part in her Blog-Party Bus. But, me being me, I’ve included a review of Atonement in Bloom as well. Here comes the bus!!!

It’s best if you read the first book first. So, for the launch of “Bloom,” Atonement, Tennessee is on sale for 99¢ (e-book). Click Atonement book covers for purchase links.

Residents of my fictional town might be of any race and from any ancestry. So author and translator Olga Núñez Miret translated the debut novel to Spanish! For that language I changed the title to Expiación y Magia!

Atonement, Tennessee in Spanish

Speaking of the otherworldly pigs, I should mention the order of the Atonement stories. Your first visit to the town is Atonement, Tennessee. It’s an urban fantasy — set in our present-day, real world but with magical elements. Aside from the heroine and her neighbor-friends (or as Diana Peach likes to call them, the gall palls (Diana’s review here), you’ll meet the grumpy sheriff, Robin Warden.

Includes the prequel

The first “snort” in The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee is about a very young Deputy Robin. (Review by Dr. Phuong Callaway here.) That particular story is tied to the novel I’m launching today, Atonement in Bloom.

Long awaited sequel to Atonement, Tennessee

Here’s the blurb!

The quaint town was stranger than Ralda Lawton could have imagined. The local population included supernatural beings of the fae variety. Although only she and a few others knew about that.

In a past life, Ralda ― Esmeralda had been involved in something with those supernaturals and it had carried into her present life. In Atonement, Tennessee, that almost got her killed. Now she has new problems, and new supes to complicate matters.

Atonement in Bloom continues the misadventures of Ralda, her friends, and neighbors in the small (but far from peaceful) town of Atonement, Tennessee. Her old house and cemetery are still there, along with Lilith the cat, quirky townsfolk, and assorted supernaturals.

Now Lilith the calico sniffs out a strange beast.

Fae foolery backfires. A friend is abducted.

On a cold December day, Atonement, Tennessee comes into bloom.

Here comes my review of Atonement in Bloom!

I was offered an ARC copy of this novel, that I had been after for some time, and I enthusiastically decided to review it as soon as I was able to.

I have followed Teagan Geneviene’s blog for a few years and have long been amazed by her creativity and her power to weave stories from the most unlikely jumble of elements, always rising to the challenges set by her readers, and writing by the seat of her pants. I am inclined to think there is some kind of magic at work, and I am not surprised by the genre she has chosen for her novels.

I have read and reviewed several of her books (you can check my most recent review of one of her serials here) and have long been a fan of her first-novel, Atonement, Tennessee (you can check my review, here). I had been waiting for the next instalment of the series for some time and had eagerly read any stories and snippets the author has shared in her blog about the Atonement universe. And I jumped at the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this novel, the second one in the series.

The author has tried to make this book stand alone, to ensure that anybody who started reading the series at this point would be given enough background to follow the events and enjoy the narrative, without slowing down those of us familiar with the story. Having read the first novel a while back and having reread it recently, I am probably not the best person to comment, but, in my opinion, she succeeds, although I would recommend anybody considering the purchase of this novel to go ahead and get the whole series, as they will be able to more fully appreciate the plot twists and the character development that take place in the series. And there are some companion stories available that you will enjoy as well.

The story is told from two different points of view, as was the case with the first novel. We have Lilith, Esmeralda’s (Ralda for short) calico cat, whose narrative is told in the third-person, and whose personality (her likes and dislikes, her strong opinions, and, indeed, her all-appropriate curiosity) shines through even more than in the first novel. She is witness to a number of events that allow the reader to be slightly ahead of Ralda at some points, but also increase the suspense and the expectations. She is not a human narrator and her understanding of events is often puzzling for us, so her clues are a bit like cryptic crossword prompts, familiar and alien at the same time. She gets involved in some hair-raising adventures of her own, and the end of the novel hints at many interesting things to come for our favourite feline narrator.

Ralda is the other narrator, and she tells the story in the first person. Those of us who have read the first novel know that she is a Southerner at heart, although she has spent many not-very-happy years in Washington DC. Atonement, Tennessee proves to be anything but the quiet and charming little town she imagines at first, secrets and supernatural events abound, and most of them centre on her house and her family line. She is a woman of strong intuition, but there is more to the events unfolding around her than a sixth sense. If the first novel saw her teetering between real-world difficulties (the move, the state of her house, the problems of her new-found friends), and some strange and decidedly supernatural events, in this second novel she at first suspects, and later comes to realise, that in Atonement, Tennessee, there is no clear separation between the “normal” and the “supernatural”. One of the things that make her a very compelling character, apart from her lack of ego and her self-deprecating sense of humour, is her open spirit and her ability to experience the wonder of the world around her. By her own confession, she has suffered the nasty side of things and people, and she at times appears overcautious and paranoid, but she is unable to say no to anybody needing help, and no matter how hard she resists, she finds it difficult to believe the worst of anybody. She might hesitate, but she will get in harm’s way if any of those close to her are in danger (and that includes Lilith, of course).

As for the plot… After taking stock of what happened in the first novel, things start getting interesting very soon. Some of the characters we thought we knew are revealed not to have been how they looked like at first (some for the better, some for the worse), and we have quite a few new characters turn up, some supernatural without a doubt (including my beloved glowing pigs), and others… well, I’ll leave you to see what you think. But there are unrequited loves, magical objects (one of my favourite things, both in fantasy and in the horror genre), some very Shakespearian turns of events, kidnappings, natural (or supernatural) wonders, and a fantastic battle scene (and I won’t reveal anything else).

Although the storyline is complete in itself and the events that unfold during the book get a resolution (and a more than satisfying one, I might add), there are mysteries still to be solved, some new ones hinted at, and I can’t wait to read the next book. If you love fantasy, supernatural events, folklore, myths and legends, Shakespeare, and appreciate a wild-tale full of imagination, you’ll be delighted by this book. I know I was.

And now, back to the party and to Teagan!

I don’t know why the party bus is stopping. Oh! It’s a delivery of flowers in honor of the book launch from Kirt Tisdale of The Wall Gallery! Wow… beautiful blue roses. Thank you, Kirt. The blue rose of the impossible is an important element of Atonement in Bloom.

Hang on to your seat-belt. Lilith just took a sharp curve and we are magically in Kentucky. Deme wanted to check out Teri Polen’s October horror and suspense book fest, Bad Moon Rising! You’ll find 31 authors and their books there!

Welcome to Atonement, TN! Everybody in town is taking part in the fun. Annie’s Antiques is hosting an exhibit of Art by Rob Goldstein.

What’s that on the next table? It looks like an Aladin’s lamp. And a puff of colorful smoke! Oh, it’s the Lamp Magician. Welcome, Magician. I’m glad you could join the party bus!

My stomach is growling. Thank goodness Carol Taylor and Gerlinde de Broekert have catered the book fair. There are delicious foods at every booth! However, Deme and Honeybell love to read, so they ran straight to the Atonement, TN Book Fair. They’re in hog heaven with so many great books!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone for supporting this Bloomin’ Party Bus. Click the author names for more info.

(If anyone wants to share a link to a review of your book, or anything about yourself, please leave a comment with the link.)

Resawill help you find the right thing to wear. She’s a costume designer. She would have enjoyed helping Ralda, Bethany, and Lacey search through the antique clothes in Sunhold’s closets (scene in “Bloom”).

I was born in Barcelona and have lived in the UK for many years now. I'm a writer, translator (English-Spanish and vice-versa) and I'm a medical doctor and worked in Forensic Psychiatry many years. I also have a BA and a PhD in American Literature and Film, and a Masters in Criminology. I've always loved books and apart from writing them I review them often.
I write a bit of everything, check my books for more information and my about page for links.
My blog is bilingual, English and Spanish.

Well,to tell you the truth, Teagan, Madrid and Barcelona don’t often see eye to eye, but vermut has become quite popular again (I remember my father having it when I was a child and then it came out of fashion again). Anything will be good though. Not much of a drinker myself… 😉

Great to see so many books from familiar bloggers featured, Olga. Teagan’s new book sounds really good too, and I wish her well with it.
Your ‘club’ of literary bloggers are all so supportive of everyone else, and it is always a joy when they (and you) bring out something new.
Best wishes, Pete.

Thanks, Pete. Please, do. I must do a catch up post at some point, but I’m juggling a few balls at the same time at the moment. I’m doing some volunteering at a local radio station, on the news team, and it is a steep-learning curve, although I have become much more aware of what is going on at the local level. And it is a great way to meet new people. Take care!

Thanks, Teagan. It’s a local radio station, Sants 3 Ràdio, and they are a friendly bunch. A much bigger enterprise than Penistone FM but still all run by volunteers. At the moment I’m learning and doing features and interviews for the local news team (Sants al dia. Sants is the name of the district where I live). I’ll talk about it a bit more at some point… but it’s a very interesting way to learn more about the place and what the local organizations are up to (from sewing groups to urbanization and local politics). They also keep a blog, so I’m also doing writing there… http://www.sants3radio.cat/noticies.php

Thank you kindly, Pete. I’m always compelled to bend the rules, so for my launch I included as many books as I could from other people. There are several different genres represented, as well as artists of various types. Have a terrific Tuesday. Hugs.

They do have a very varied offering, and a large variety of volunteers, from people who have been in the radio forever, to journalims students, or people who do programmes on their personal interests (sports, politics, regional music…). I hope perhaps in the future I’ll have a programme to myself, but I’m learning the ropes a bit, and news programmes are always interesting. Perhaps a bilingual or trilingual programme?

Good morning, Olga. Thanks to you, my Tuesday is off to a terrific start! I’m so happy that you are on the party bus. Your review knocked my socks off! I am truly grateful. You chose the perfect spot in the post to add your review too. Perfect. Roll on party bus. Beep-beep yeah! 😀 Huge hugs.

Thanks, Teagan. I am pleased you liked it because I had no-end of fun with the story and I woul happily have kept reading. I guess the editing work at the radio is catching on (oh gosh, as you had told me, editing audio is tricky even with a pretty easy to use software…). Keep up the high spirits for the day. 🙂

Hi Jacquie! OMG… I keep reading and rereading Olga’s review. It will keep me lifted up on many a difficult workday! Thanks so much for your support with the book launch. I appreciate you making the rounds here. Great big hug!

Thank you, Vashti. I saw your post as well. I had Teagan’s book on my list and managed to read it in time for the tour. Well, once I started reading it, I could not stop! She always organises great parties.
Enjoy the rest of the week. ♥

Hi Sally! Thanks so much for all your support in this book launch. I couldn’t be happier with a review. Olga provides wonderful details in her reviews. I also appreciate that she doesn’t use a scoring system — rather gives us those useful details. Wishing you continued success with all your books. Hugs on the wing.

Thanks so much for sharing a link to my review too, Olga. I agree completely with your review, and also encourage readers to start with the first book and read the whole series. Atonement in Bloom is a roller-coaster ride through magical town. I wish Teagan the greatest of luck with the book and can’t wait for the next in the series. 🙂

Thanks, Diana.I think your review is fabulous. I was reaind one of the posts Teagan shared, an earlier teaser, and now it all makes sense. A magical ride through a place that we don’t want to leave once we step into it. I hope the next one will not be too long in coming but with such complex stories, I’m not surprised Teagan needs to take her time. I hope her books reach many readers because we can all do with a bit of her magic. Best of luck with your books as well!

How great that you translated this one into Spanish! I can read (slooowly) in French, by my Spanish still needs a lot of work. We’ve just crossed the border for another winter so hopefully I’ll learn more phrases this year 🙂

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This is me!

I'm a writer, translator (English-Spanish and vice versa) and a forensic psychiatrist. I was born in Barcelona and moved to the UK in 1992 to train in psychiatry. After a few years I decided to go back to full-time education and completed a BA in American Literature at Sussex University (it included a year in Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts), and a PhD on 'the Films of David Mamet'. As I never tired studying I also did an MSc (Distance Learning) in Criminology and Criminal Justice (Leicester University). Now I've decided to try and focus on writing, translating and exploring interesting stuff.
I have written short stories, several novels including different genres and two series (one YA, one psychological thriller). I also review books and I am a member of several review groups. You can find more information about my writing following the links.
If you're an author who, like me, wants to reach more potential readers, talk to me about translations. I know how important it is to be in control and I understand how much you care about your books. Let's talk about it. I am in most places but for more information check:
My website/blog:
http://www.authortranslatorolga.com
And for older content:
http://OlgaNM.wordpress.com

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